Introduction

Explore the intriguing story of Miles Astray, a photographer who caused a stir in the AI photography world with his unique approach to capturing the essence of a flamingo. Learn about the controversy that surrounded his entry in the AI category of an international photography competition.

The Story Unfolds

It’s easy to imagine the text prompt Miles Astray might have entered into an image-generating AI tool to get his wild photo of a flamingo looking like a headless ball of pink fluff on spindly legs. The image just won two awards in the AI category of an international photography competition.

Plot twist: Artificial intelligence had nothing to do with Astray’s photo. He shot it with a camera. And that’s why it got disqualified from the 1839 Awards after winning third place and people’s choice honors for AI photography.

The contest, named for one of the most formative years in the history of photography, includes a range of categories: animals, architecture, landscapes, people, photojournalism, still life. Photographers from 55 countries entered this year’s 1839 Awards. Astray submitted his flamingo photo in the AI group to prove that human-generated art hasn’t lost its impact in a world of algorithms.

“After seeing recent instances of AI-generated imagery outshining actual photos in competitions, it occurred to me that I could twist this story inside down and upside out the way only a human could and would, by submitting a real photo into an AI competition,” Astray explains on his website.

The Decision

Judges from The New York Times, Getty Images, Maddox Gallery, and the Centre Pompidou in Paris are among those who picked this year’s winners. Right after Astray found out he won, he notified contest organizers that he’d actually shot his “AI” image of a bird scratching its belly with a Nikon D750 DSLR camera, using Lightroom to convert it from its RAW format to JPG and making a few minimal adjustments.

“I don’t process my images much and usually only to correct whatever the camera didn’t capture authentically,” Astray said in an email. “I like to show the world as is.”

Conclusion

Despite the disqualification, Astray’s message in submitting a real photo to the AI category was acknowledged by the 1839 Awards organization. The photographer, a creative nomad, continues to push boundaries and challenge perceptions of art in the digital age.

Explore the intersection of creativity and technology through the lens of Miles Astray’s unconventional approach to photography.